Bicycle pedal-bell.



Patented Sept. 5, I899.

H. 0.. PLUMMER.

BICYCLE PEDAL BELL.

[Application filed June 30, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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NITED STATES PATEMTIQ QJE.

HORACE Q. PLUMMER, OF DANVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE AMERICAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY AND HENRY T. IIEARSEY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA,

BICYCLE PEDAL-BELL.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. dated September 1899- Applioation filed June 30, 1899. Serial No. 722,371. (No model.) I

To aZZ whom it may concern: striker-arm; Fig. 5, a top perspective of the Be it known that I, HORACE Q. PLUMMER, bell-frame, showing the foot-lever when made a citizen of the United States, residing at Danintegrally and non-ad j ustable with the bellville, in the county of Hendricks and State of frame; Fig. 6, a perspective of the striker- 5 Indiana, have invented certain new and usearms, and Figs. 7, 8, and 9 detail views.

ful Improvements in Bicycle Pedal-Bells and In practically carrying out my invention a I do declare the following to be a full, clear, metallic base-plate F is provided, which is and exact description of the invention, such as adapted to fit the pedal-frame A of a bicycle, will enable others skilled in the art to which and it may be of any suitable width. It is 10 it appertains to make and use the same, refpreferably designed to bear against the erence being had to the accompanying drawtreadle-surface or part against which the ings, and to the letters and figures of reference foot bears, and secured thereto, as in the marked thereon, which form a part of this present case, by means of a clamp G, exspecification. tending over the opposite side of the hub 13,

15 The invention relates to a bell or gong that and screw-bolts H I, extending through peris adapted to be applied to and operated in forations s s in the clamp and threaded perconnection with the pedals of bicycles; and it forations t' 2' in the base F. v consists in a new and novel frame and oper- A bell-frame D is either made of cast metal ating means therefor whereby the bell may be or stamped out of sheet metal and is prefer- 2o placed in operative position, means whereby ably circular, having a flange d adapted to exthebell is retained in inoperative position,and tend over the edge of the bell E as a protecin improvements whereby the bell is caused tion both against injury and against mud and to sound strongly and also with less force aldust. The frame is pivoted at one side to the v ternately; and it consists, further, in the parts base by means of a rivet 7c in a perforation in 25 and combination and arrangement of parts the frame and a registering perforation Z in hereinafter fully described and claimed. the base. At the opposite side of the frame The objects of my invention are, first, to and registering with a perforation t' is a slot provide a bell which may be sounded when h to receive the extended threaded end of the the bicycle is in motion only and without rebolt I, which projects below the frame-plate 3o quiring the use of the hands, which are usuand is provided with a nut J,which after being ally otherwise employed; second, to produce adjusted may be suitably locked, but without such a bell with the least amount of weight in binding the frame plate tightly, the frame its construction; third, to provide a simple being permitted to move laterally about its and therefore cheap device of this character, pivot k and being governed in extent of move- 3 5 and, fourth, to generally improve the details ment by the ends of the slot h acting as stops of construction, so as to be durable and ecoagainst the bolt 1. The frame has a center nomical in use. stud e, to which the bell is suitably secured,

These objects are fully attained in my inas by a screw f, and at the under side as it vention, which is illustrated in the accompahangs below the pedal it has posts 7 and 8 and 40 nying drawings, in which similar letters and a split post Q, and near the edge opposite the 0 numerals of reference in the several figures latter is a perforation n, in which is a pivot m, designate similar parts. by which the clapper-lever K, having an axial Referring to the drawings, Figure l reprehole 19, is mounted at the under side of the sents a front elevation of a right-hand-side frame. The clapper-leverhas acurved inner 45 bicycle-pedal, showing my devices in inoperaend terminating in a clapper L of suitable 5 tive position attached thereto; Fig. 2, a eenform, and an outer end 25, adapted to form contralvertical transverse sectional view Fig. 3, tact with the striker-arms O and O, or, if dea bottom plan view of the bell-frame in inopsired, with the arm C of the bicyclecrank. erative position; Fig. 45a bottom plan of the A perforation 6 is adapted to receive the op 50 same in operative position relatively to the crating-spring. The operating-spring P is formed of wire and is preferably continuous, so that one spring not only retains the bell in its inoperative position, but also acts to throw the clapper against the bell. Thus adapted, it comprises an elliptically-eurved main section secured in the split post Q, extending outside the post 7 and inside the post 8 and having its free end hooked in the perforation 6 of the lever K or otherwise connected thereto. From the post Q a section 2 extends to and coils about the stud e, as section 4, extending thence, as section 3, the free end of which bears against the side of the lower end of the bolt I immediately below the nut J and may serve as a lock therefor. The tension is such that the post Q is forced normally away from the bolt I, and therefore withdraws the bell-frame and the lever K away from the crank-arm C and the end tfrom contact with the striking means. The post 7 allows great elasticity when the lever K is in contact with the striking means, and the post 8 causes a rebound after the clapper strikes the bell. The striker-arms have a hub in which is an aperture 3 to receive the end I) of the axle of the pedal, and is secured between the boss 0' and the shoulder (6. One or more arms 0 may be employed, and when more than one there is preferably one or more arms 0 set over, so that the end if barely forms a contact, so that a subdued sound of the bell is produced, alternating with the loudest sound produced by contact with the arm 0. Thusthe monotonous tones of other bells are obviated, and a warn ing of greater effect is given. This effect is attained by reason of the positive frame-stops and the offset-arms, as the straight arms 0, which, however, may be olfset in the opposite direction to the others, cause the lever end i to have a greater travel than do the others, as will be obvious.

In order to render the device operative, I provide an arm whereby the bell and its frame and operating elements are brought by the foot of the rider into operative contact with the motive force. This arm is rigidly attached to the frame D and may be either formed sep arately, as N, having a slot 'Lt, whereby it is adjustable, and a screw-bolt v, securing the same to a lug M of the frame and against a shoulder to, or as an integral arm M, extending upward from the frame above the pedalframe, so that it may be engaged by the riders shoe-sole or the foot. In low-gear bicycles it may be desirable to dispense with the striking-arms, as the lever K is equally adapted to act with the crank-arm C, the edge 10 being the contacting side.

In operation, as will be apparent from the foregoing, the rider may press his foot sidewise against the arm N or M and cause the frame D to swing on its pivot toward the crank-arm O, bringing the elements into operation, as explained in detail, and causing an alarm while so retained by the foot, the

.alarm ceasing when pressure against the arm is removed. The base is so situate that when the bell-frame is in the inoperative position the lever K clears the strikers and is normally held, substantially as shown in Fig. 3, by the spring P resting against the post 8.

Vhile the form of spring shown is simple and eifeotive, obviously I may adopt equivalent separate springs without departing from the intent and purpose of my invention, and the arm ill may be bent laterally to any suitable degree to suit a shoe having a broader toe than the arm shown is designed for.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A bicycle-pedal provided with a bellframe pivoted substantially at one of its sides or eccentrically so that its body portion may swing laterally across the pedal and provided with a projecting arm whereby the bell-frame may be shifted laterally, a bell supported by the bell-frame, and a bell-clapper lever pivoted to the bell-frame and projecting toward the bicycle crank-arm.

2. A bicycle pedal-bell comprising a base, a bell-frame movablyattached to the base and normally retained in inoperative position, a bell, a bell-clapper lever, and an arm attached to the bell-frame whereby the bell-frame may be shifted to bring the bell-clapper lever in operative position in connection with a striker carried by the bicycle crank-arm.

3. A bicycle-pedal provided with a bellframe pivoted at one side or eccentrically so that its body portion may swing laterally across the bottom of the pedal and provided with an arm projecting above the pedal whereby the bell-frame may be shifted laterally, a bell supported by the bell-frame, a bell-clapper lever pivoted to the bell-frame and pro- 3' ectin g toward the bicycle crank-arm, a spring for the bell-clapper lever, and a spring whereby the bell-frame is normally held from swinging toward the bicycle crank-arm.

4E. Abicycle-pedal provided with a stationary base and a bell-frame pivoted at one side. to the base so that the greater portion of the bell-frame may swing laterally toward the bicycle crank-arm, a spring whereby the bellframe is normally held away from the bicycle crank-arm, an arm whereby the bell-frame may be pressed toward the bicycle crankarm, a bell, a clapper-lever pivoted to the bellframe and projecting therefrom toward the bicycle crank-arm, and a spring for the clapper-lever.

5. A bicycle pedal-bell comprising a base and a clamp whereby the same may be secured to the pedal-axle and provided at one end with a pivot-pin, a bell-frame connected to such pivot-pin and working parallel with the base and provided at the side opposite the pivot with a projecting arm adapted to be engaged by the foot' of a bicycle rider, a framespring, a bell, a bell-clapper lever having a clapper at one end thereof and pivoted to the bell-frame, a bell-clapper spring, and a striking-arm attachable to the bicycle crank-arm.

6. In a bicycle pedal-bell, the combination of the pedal, the base, the pivoted bell-frame, the bell, the operating-lever secured to the bell-frame and extending above the pedal whereby the bellfraineis shifted, the clapperlever having a clapper at its inner end and pivoted to the hell-frame, and the strikerarms secured to the bicycle crank-arm and provided with alternate arms offset away from the clapper-lever whereby the same is engaged by such lever during a lesser period of time than are the remaining striker-arms.

7. In a bicycle pedal-bell, the combination of the pedal, the base F provided with the pivot 75 and the perforation t', the bell-frame D having the bell secured thereto and the protecting-flange (Z and slot h and mounted on said pivot, the clamp, the clamp-bolts, the arm attached to the bell-frame, the nut on the clamp-bolt below said slot, the posts, the clap per-lever K pivoted to said bell-frame and projecting therefrom, the striker-arms secured by the pedal-axle, and the spring whereby the bell-frame and the clapperlever is pressed, substantially as set forth.

8. In a bicycle pedal-bell, the combination of the pedal, the base, the bell-frame, the clapper-lever pivoted to the bell-frame and having a bell-clapper at its inner end and its outer end projecting from the bell-frame, the

striker-arms mounted on the bicycle cranlb arm, the spring pressing the bell-frame oppositely from the bicycle crank-arm, the spring tending to hold the clapper elastically near the bell, and an arm attached to the bell-frame whereby the same may be shifted about its pivot so that said clapper-lever may form contact with the striker-arms, substantially as set forth.

9. In a bicycle pedal-bell, the combination of the pedal, the bicycle crank-arm, the base, the bell-frame, the stops for the bell-frame, the clapper-lever pivoted to the bell-frame and projecting toward such crank-arm, the operating-arm attached to the bell-frame, the frame-spring, the clapper-lever spring, and the striker-arms carried by such crank-arm and situate in different planes whereby such clapper-lever is engaged and moved a greater distance about its pivot by the striker-arms nearest thereto than by such striker-arms in the plane farthest therefrom, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HORACE Q. PLUMMER.

Witnesses:

WM. H. PAYNE, E. T. SILVIUS. 

